This blog is a result of the heavy censoring of the media by the military dictatorship regime.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Netani Rika removed as editor-in-chief from the Fiji Times

Coupfourpointfive understands the editor-in-chief of the Fiji Times, Netani Rika, has been told he no longer has a job with the paper.
The award winning journalist led the country's most established paper through a number of difficult years, including this past one when staff lived under great uncertainty as the regime ruthlessly forged ahead with its plans to introduce the controversial Media Decree.

Coupfourpointfive understands Rika, who has won several media awards and who has fought relentlessly for media feedom, was removed today from the role, under what appears to be pressure from the military regime.

The Fiji Times was bought recently by Mahendra Patel, of the Motibhai Group, who installed Dallas Swinstead as publisher. There was no mention at the time about the future of Rika but concern was expressed behind the scenes for the fearless editor-in-chief.

The talented Rika should be able to land a job with any reputable newsroom, including those in New Zealand and Australia, but the ignonimy of being told to go in such a manner would not be easy on anyone. Rika's departure is a loss to the industry and the Fiji Times, which this week started to show it'll sacrifice editorial integrity in the fight for the regime dollars.

32 comments:

Fiji Times now trash
said...

He will be remembered for his integrity and courage - unlike the gutless cowards behind this coup. The Fiji Times took less than a week to become a rag. Khaiyum and this criminal cabal must pay dearly for the damge they have done to Fiji.Where are the spineless so called chiefs?

Yes the deafening cry of Fijians in particular, where are their chiefs????? who should be in front leading their people in war of liberation from the illegal imposters???? Where are the Cakobaus???....Maras?????Tui Cakaus????? Ro so and so's, where are the rest of them who used to beat the tracks down to Suva every time they had the Bose Levu Vakaturaga???...especially when it's allowance distribution time....they have gone to sleep with tails between their legs. They are, by their inaction indicating to us that they will only lead in time of peace and plenty but will take up the rear when required to go to battle. They are showing their irrelevancy in these modern complex times,,,,,they are dinosors

Chodory is showing more spine and courage in resisting Bainivuaka,,,although for reasons including personal gains...., doing better than the parasitic Chiefs.

He will be remembered for the &$@!*&^%&^% that he is, the one that brought down the FT and nearly lost 100's of people their jobs. Good luck Rika you will not be missed at all. PRINT THAT those of you who censor this site, cry media freedom but don't allow any comments that are pro gov on here!-C4 says:People, please note that this 'pro gov supporter' is not hard done as he claims. We have his filthy, vile postings to prove it. On this occassion he has signed himself 'good luck to rika' but he usually operates under another name-Ed

I think no one is surprised that Rika has been let off as we could all see it coming from the evil junta. He's fought a good fight and had stayed till the end. I think history will remember him kindly.

As for the shrieking mynah @ 10.49p.m. do take another pill dear and have a good lie down.

"The talented Rika should be able to land a job with any reputable newsroom, including those in New Zealand and Australia, but the ignonimy of being told to go in such a manner would not be easy on anyone."

I hope you people at Coup4.5 who abetted Rika's editorial stance will provide him the first employment opportunity.

Well done Netani. Your courage and patriotism to your nation will be remembered. The war against these slum dwellers and shrieking mynah birds, and their military puppets and puppy dogs, is a long way from being over.

@ good luck to rika said...it is not that you comments are 'pro-government' it is that they are 'pro military regime' there is a difference, and those on the receiving end of the military thugs know the difference.

You can accuse Bainimarama of many things most of which are fallacious but you cannot accuse him of handing out free generators, fibreglass fishing punts, free outboard motors, and free weed eaters among the many other items that were handed out during elections.

I believe it is better known as vote buying what say you.

To Bainimarama’s detriment he is too kind, he visits villages and the people complain there is no bridges our poor children swim across the river with their clothes in plastic bags so what does he do?

He does something his predecessors fail to achieve that is to build them a bridge.

@ good luck rika....you sound like an empty vessel, look like your girl friend aziz and a guttless spineless snake you @#!#@ SOB. At least Rika had the guts to say and tell the truth knowing very well the consequences but for you no photo, no name rauti iko vinaka qo....sona levu magaitinamu.

You can't accuse Bai for handing out generators but he only paid himself leave from the day he joinned the Navy at his current salary. He kept paying his brutha in law full pay while serving a prison sentence for manslaughter and gave him his job back upon release.

He is just the kinda of leader Fiji needs, transparent, fair and incoruptible.

A principled man doesn't leave his wife to marry another as Netani Rika did. In that regard, whatever principle Rika had in your eyes is nothing in God's eyes.

Netani Rika's editorial stance has nothing to do with his principle, if any. His editorial stance has to do with the call made by his bosses sitting up there in Australia colluding with the Australian DFAT officials on how best to influence Fiji's political processes through the media. This is a strategy Australia applies all over the Pacific through the various institutions, companies or NGOs they are funding in order to extend their foreign agenda on the Pacific.

Look at PACER Plus. Who is pushing for this?

Who is funding Shamima Ali's Fiji Women's Crisis Centre? Who is funding Angie Heffernan's NGO? There are many other organizations out there that registers as NGOs or as companies in Fiji to invest but are mere covers for their true agendas as foreign intelligence organisations.

USAID is one such organization that registers as something like an NGO but are merely a cover for the CIA. We have to ask ourselves why are they opening their office again in Fiji after leaving in mid 90s? It is easy to decipher why.

The reason why USAID decided to open office in Fiji again is because Australia and New Zealand have failed to perform the task that the US deferred to them. Another reason is that China is increasing its expansion into the Pacific and particularly with Fiji, the hub of the Pacific. New Zealand and Australia's hardline approach on Bainimarama is not helping at all but is emboldening the current leadership in Fiji to embrace China more.

Whatever ill you may think of Netani Rika it all boils down to this one clear thing we've all looking at : the MAN - Netani Rika ain't afraid to stand by what he thinks of your ILLEGAL REGIME, yeah - lock, stock and barrel he'll tell you like it is!

Can't say much for you little max, freak of coward still hiding beneath the Pig's sulu some four years and counting. Nuff said!

It's really disappointing to see some people on this site resorting to veiled racial stereotyping, as in the use of the word mynah, which everyone in Fiji knows means Indo-Fijian or Kai Idia. Those who do so have forfeited their moral right to crusade on behalf of democratic values of any sort. With regard to Netani Rika, his is a personal tragedy first and foremost, a man torn between two cultures on every count. Neither i'Taukei or Kai Valagi because of his Fijian father and Australian mother. And neither a local journalist or an import because he had to operate in a local context but was too seduced by the news values of the guys he most admired at News Limited in Australia. I agree with the contributor who said Rika's main problem was that he came to see himself as part of the story rather than as a dispassionate observer. The crusading angry young man part of it was all very well but it was too much a theatre of his own creation in which he saw himself as the principle actor. He deserves a good job somewhere else but the Fiji Times is better off without him.

I don't have any ill against Rika. While Rika may not know me personally, he is quite well known to me as his father was my high school principal at one stage during the time Rika was at RKS. So Rika is pretty familiar to me.

Why I mentioned Rika's personal side was because some people all over the various blogs are placing too much high value on Rika's "principle". Rika's editorial principle is not his own but one determined by his employer News Corp. Rika had to do what his bosses in Australia decide for him. This is piece of cake to understand as you do what your boss tells you to do.

The moralist Max is preaching virtue but can't see through the corruption and dishonesyt of the regime, despite the evidence hierarchy lining their pockets and ignoring the plight of ordinary people. But guess someone has to defend Baini and Khaiyum, there aint anybody else doing it. Whatever his personal faults, Rika can walk away from FT knowing he stood up for principles of journalism. Rika not to blame for paper losing money, that happened because regime want to punish FT for doing its job. Good Fiji Sun when real government is installed.

Knowing Netani personally in his journalistic capacity , I can say he was never about the story - he has always been about the principles and the issues of the day. He has stood up to the regime all this time and we applaud him... those of you who have stooped to gutter level to throw his marriages at him, why dont you throw stones at the regime's "leaders" first starting with Bainimarama himself and his affairs on the side , then with Epeli Nailaitkau and his frequent daliances on the side, and then with Driti and all his marama's around the country , and perhaps try Ului out ... give me a break !

Netani is a great journalist and a great person, a great father and a man of substance, something I cant say the same about with the current corrupt leaders in the junta.